IMMUNOLOGY AND AIDS CONFERENCES IN THE DEVELOPING WORLD

艾滋病毒/艾滋病是一种典型的疾病，免疫系统是病原体的目标，是导致死亡的失败根源，也是建立抵抗力和遏制病毒的手段。因此，世界各地的免疫学家都参与了艾滋病毒/艾滋病的研究。然而，大多数免疫学和艾滋病研究会议都在北半球举行。这项申请的目的是促进在发展中国家处理艾滋病毒/艾滋病和相关问题的生物医学研究人员(免疫学家)的持续教育，改善这些地区内的科学交流与合作，并加强未来可能(或已经)有美国科学家参与的国际合作研究的基础。其具体目的是支持在世界三个发展中区域每三年举行一次的免疫学重大科学会议(重点是艾滋病毒/艾滋病)，方法是便利来自各区域的现役研究人员出席和参与。它们是拉丁美洲免疫学家协会(ALAI)、非洲免疫学会联合会(FAIS)和亚太免疫学会联合会(FIMSA)。非洲联盟目前的会议将分别于1999年12月在乌拉圭、2000年1月在曼谷举行和2000年2月在喀麦隆举行。由于许多疾病现在是国际性的，并不严格局限于国内，而且涉及免疫系统的疾病在世界各地都很重要，这些会议是发展中国家的专业人员获得免疫学和艾滋病领域的最新情况、介绍自己的工作并与同事和美国访客讨论他们的兴趣的重要机会。

HIV/AIDS is a disease par excellence of the immune system which is the target of the pathogen, the locus of failure that leads to death and, also, the means of establishing resistance and containment of the virus. Thus, immunologists in all parts of the world are involved in HIV/AIDS research. However, most Immunology and AIDS research meetings are held in the northern hemisphere. The goal of this application is to facilitate the ongoing education of biomedical investigators (immunologists) who deal with HIV/AIDS and related issues in developing countries, to improve scientific communication and cooperation within these regions and to strengthen bases for future international cooperative research that will likely (or already) involve US scientists. The specific aim is to support major scientific meetings in Immunology (with emphasis on HIV/AIDS) that are held triennially in each of the three developing regions of the world by facilitating attendance and participation by active investigators from throughout each region. These are the Association of Latin American Immunologists (ALAI), the Federation of African Immunology Societies (FAIS) and the Federation of Immunologic Societies of Asia-Oceana (FIMSA). The current meetings of ALAI will be in Uruguay, December 1999, FIMSA in Bangkok in January 2000 and FAIS in Cameroon in February 2000. Since much disease now is international and not strictly confined within country and because diseases involving the immune system are important in all parts of the world, these meetings are important opportunities for the professionals in developing countries to obtain updates within the fields of immunology and AIDS and present their own work and discuss their interests with colleagues and US visitors.